Your Guide To The Essential Colin Firth Canon On Streaming

He’s also an incredible actor who has appeared in well over 50 films. Throughout his career, Firth has excelled at playing British aristocrats with a stiff upper lip and hidden heart of gold. He can play good or bad, glamorous or goofy. And through his landmark performance as Mr. Darcy, he has singlehandedly defined what our modern idea of the perfect man is supposed to be.

So, we thought it was about time to pay tribute to this actor, artist, and sex symbol by pointing you to where you can catch his most iconic roles on streaming.

‘Pride & Prejudice’ (1995)

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Colin Firth became an overnight international sensation when he starred as one of the greatest romantic heroes of all time, Mr. Darcy, in the BBC’s mini-series adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Firth’s performance not only defined the Austen characters for modern audiences, but also set the stage for the rest of his career. [Amazon Prime Instant Video]

‘Fever Pitch’ (1997)

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Firth followed his success as an Regency hero by playing a contemporary football fanatic in the original adaptation of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch. Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore would later co-star in a baseball-themed American adaptation, but Firth’s true-to-the-source original has stood the test of time. [GoWatchIt]

‘Shakespeare In Love’ (1998)

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If Mr. Darcy was the British aristocrat that every woman wanted to get with, then Firth’s character in Shakespeare in Love, The Earl of Wessex, was the exact opposite. This creepy, selfish, and domineering fop was precisely the kind of man that a woman would want to run away from. [GoWatchIt]

‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001)

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Author Helen Fielding was so taken by Firth’s performance as Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice that she based Bridget Jones’s love interest, Mark Darcy, directly off the actor. Luckily for us all, Colin Firth was completely game to play Mark Darcy in the film adaptation of Bridget Jones’s Diary. It might be the most fun and most meta casting in contemporary film history. [GoWatchIt]

‘What A Girl Wants’ (2003)

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Colin Firth excels at playing aloof aristocrats who are hiding a secret softness underneath their haughty exteriors. He worked this vibe yet again the sweet family comedy, What A Girl Wants. The film follows Amanda Bynes as an American teen who hightails it to Britain to confront her long-lost father (Firth). [GoWatchIt]

‘Love Actually’ (2003)

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Colin Firth charms as a lovelorn and lonely writer who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper in Richard Curtis’s classic Christmas romcom, Love Actually. Never before has broken Portuguese sounded so charming or so romantic… [GoWatchIt]

‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008)

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When Colin Firth appeared on Inside The Actor’s Studio, he was asked — like all guests — if Heaven exists, what would he like to hear God say upon his arrival. Firth answered that he would like to hear God say, “I personally thought you were very good in Mamma Mia!” Firth’s performance in the bonkers movie musical was panned by critics, but the film is an absolute joy to watch. [GoWatchIt]

‘A Single Man’ (2009)

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Colin Firth turned heads in Hollywood when he gave a devastating performance as a depressed 1950s college professor reeling from the loss of his lover (Matthew Goode) in A Single Man. Firth didn’t get the Oscar for his role, but it set off a new era in his career where the actor was given plum roles in Oscar-bait films. [GoWatchIt]

‘The King’s Speech' (2010)

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While Firth didn’t snag an Oscar for A Single Man, he did take home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in 2010’s The King’s Speech. The film told the story of King George VI’s struggles overcoming a debilitating stutter during World War II. [GoWatchIt]

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (2011)

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a tense and gorgeously acted adaption of John Le Carre’s famous spy thriller. In the film, Gary Oldman enlists the help of Benedict Cumberbatch to root out a mole in the British government and Firth plays one of the shifty government agents under suspicion. [GoWatchIt]